Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

A prayer I wrote on Day 3 of my fast: O Lord, I want to be more aware of Your Presence with me. Please show up in a more tangible way, Lord Jesus,  Holy Spirit, I want to be close to You, sweet Lord.  Please be close to me. Take my thoughts, reasonings, etc., and get me to a simple place!  Simply resting in Your Presence as I go about my daily routine. I invite You, my Lord, into all of it!  Where I have kept You at arm's length, I now say I want You closer, in all of it.  Everything!  In every relationship, in my work, in my music, in how I treat You and others, O Lord, take me higher with You!  More with  You.  More aware of You! I feel I am more aware of You during this fast, but not as much as possible.  Not as "cloud 9," but a simple and pure awareness - Your love and joy and peace always around me, with me, in me. I don't know how else to pray, Lord!  But I just want more of You!  More of You, sweet Lord!  And if this means less of me, so be it.   That I would l

Running my errands one day, I stopped at Target. Soon after I parked my car, a woman started to get in her car,  parked right next to mine.  I felt led to pray for her. Before she opened her door, I rolled down my window and asked if I could pray for her. She started crying uncontrollably.  “What’s wrong?” I asked.  “I can’t forgive him. I’m just so angry,” she said.  Seeing the severity of her emotions, I assumed what the transgression was. I asked her when it happened.  She blurted out something like, “Over a year ago.”  I sat in stunned silence.  The torrent of tears pouring out of her seemed so fresh, so new. As if her husband had just committed the offense recently.  She was crying as if it happened yesterday, not took place over a year ago. What I learned from that encounter is this:  Hurts we don’t let go of fester. The wounds stay as fresh as the day we were wounded, no matter how much time has passed since, if we do not forgive .  This woman told me she was a Christian. How sa

"Until Jesus becomes our Savior, we are enemies of God.  Although we may be quick to deny that we are against Him, there is no neutral ground.  We have either been reconciled to God through His Son, or we are at odds with Him."  Dr. Charles Stanley This pretty much sums up where we stand with God, either as His friend or His foe.  Which are you?  Have you been born again?  Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, why don't you pray right now and ask Him into your heart?  It's about time, no?   He does not require a long, elaborate, or eloquent prayer from you.  Just a heartfelt plea.  Tell Him that you need a Savior - that you need Him.  Ask Him to come and live inside of you through His Holy Spirit.  Tell Him that you are serious about wanting to get right with Him - no more games, lies, or denial. Then be at peace!   And after you pray, don't go by your feelings! You may or may not "feel" any different. Trust, by faith, that it is a don

You want escape.  You want the easy way out.  And who wouldn't?  You've prayed and prayed and still no relief.  You even fasted.  You have the faith.  You believe God implicitly. And still your prayers go unanswered. You start to believe that it is not God's will to heal your loved one.  Years have passed.  Still no end in sight. What happens to our faith when our most heartfelt, fervent prayers are not answered when and how we like? I have found that I either get more persistent - pray more often - or I am tempted to just give up. "I guess it is not God's will to provide in this way."  How do we seek God and believe He has the best in mind when He allows a painful situation to continue? During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed everyone who believed in His healing power, who believed in Him.  Over and over we read in the gospels where He says, "Your faith has made you well."  (Mark 5:34) Or "According to your faith, let it be done to you."